My 12 Favourite Video Games (2002-2021)
These are my 12 favorite games. I hope you will feel inspired to try any of them or to write a list of your own.
12. Return of The Obra Dinn
The frustration I felt solving the mysteries made me feel extremely satisfied once I got them. At some points I was very close to looking up solutions online to get a bit of momentum, I resisted the temptation and just had a look at some tips instead and I’m very happy that I did. After all you are not really playing a detective game if you don’t do the thinking yourself.
11. Spore: Galactic Adventures
This was my first true video game obsession and had a big impact on my art style, sometimes when I design characters I feel like I’m building in the Creature Creator.
It would have been a pretty short lived obsession if it had not been for the Galactic Adventures expansion pack which allowed you to make your own games and discover games made by other players. I had very ambitious projects and hardly finished anything worthwhile though, but that was enough to make me feel powerful, the fact that I could have made amazing stuff.
10. Super Mario Sunshine
Delfino Plaza is my favorite hub world in any video game. I loved to do acrobatics, climb around and splash into the water. This moveset is fantastic, I love the bellyslides and wall jumps.
9. Superbrothers' Sword & Sworcery
I didn’t know what games could do besides mechanics until I played this. I played it in my teenage bedroom through late and foggy summer nights. The moon phases in the real world allow you to progress through certain parts in this game. It felt like diving into a world that was running on magic instead of code.
8. Marvel's Spiderman (PS4)
I love to put on my Spiderman mask, swing around New York and chill to my own music. There are A LOT of crimes in New York though.
7. Good Sudoku
In this game I can solve a sudoku puzzle in 25 seconds. It's a pain in the ass to do a real sudoku puzzle after playing this.
6. Minecraft
I love Minecraft but I really don't like the way it looks so much. This made me dig around in the files of a video game for the first time and create texture packs to change the look of the game.
I mostly play it alone, I love collecting stuff and to make cozy cottages close to the water while I wait for the chill tunes to play again.
As a sidenote, Notch comes from a town very close to where I grew up which is a little bit inspiring for me.
5. Zelda: Breath of The Wild
It's one of those rare games where it feels fine to wander around aimlessly and soak up the atmosphere. Climb some tall things and jump into water from tall places. I loved getting on a raft and just let it take me down the river like Huckleberry Finn.
4. Tetris 99
Tetris is perfect in terms of gameplay. The only thing I don't like about this one is the graphics and music. I don't touch the battle royale mode much either, I just play the classic mode.
Maybe I would like Tetris Effect better. This was the cheapest one.
3. Wilmot's Warehouse
I would say Tetris is a fast food version of a sorting-game, where it's hard to stop and it's quick satisfaction. Wilmot's Warehouse is more like a 3-star Michelin restaurant, where I pace myself and enjoy it more reasonably but on a deeper level.
It's so concentrated in what it's about and does it in such a charming way. I feel at peace when I move my boxes around and just try to make it really neat.
2. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
I'm happy as long as I get to decorate my house and my lizard brain is always excited to go to the Nook Shop even though I know it will probably be the same old items on display as usual.
It was also great to hang out with friends in here for a while during lockdown.
1. Spelunky 2
Maybe it's because this game is so Indiana-Jones inspired that I have a bit of a bias to liking this game. But it's really the mysteries and the game's resistance to show me what it is hiding that makes me love it so much.
It fixed everything I was troubled by in the first game, mainly the art. Spelunky 2 is a MASTERPIECE! :- )
I will revisit this list and update it if I discover something new or change my mind. (last update. xx-xx-2021)